“It’s absolutely brilliant” – new video shows how care home technology is helping staff keep residents safe and well throughout the night.

A powerful story of how technology enabled care supports care home staff to keep residents safe and well at night is the focus of a new video from the National Innovation Collaborative for digital health.

The team at Elcombe House in Bedford describe how acoustic monitoring technology is helping ensure the night time safety and wellbeing of residents, many of whom live with dementia.

Acoustic monitoring, which is being piloted in care homes by Bedford, Luton and Milton Keynes Health and Care Partnership, is where a small in-room device detects whether a resident’s movements are expected or different, which could indicate a fall or disturbance in sleep.

Staff are quickly alerted to changes via an app on their phone or tablet, while the innovation also means residents’ sleep isn’t broken by unnecessary room checks and information collected via the app can help tailor their care.

The video also features a personal view from Jean Jackson, whose husband Colin lives at Elcombe House.

Jean said: “Having something like this in his room is brilliant for Colin personally, because he was having such horrendous nights and nightmares.

“When you’ve been married to somebody this long, you want to look after them.  I can’t do it, so I’m trusting the people here to do it and every bit of technology they’ve got – good on them.”

Terry Wright, Digitisation Project Manager for Bedfordshire Care Group Ltd, said: “If we’ve got a better understanding of a resident’s health and behaviour at night we can build a better picture of how we can care for that resident. It also allows us to advocate when we need support from other parties such as a GP or a complex care team.

Kerri Trudgill, Deputy Manager at Elcombe House, part of St Andrew’s Care Homes said: “I think for the residents it’s about safety and security. They’re getting the reassurance they need and they’re not going to feel scared and lonely. The staff can respond a lot quicker. It’s more person-centred and it’s catered to the individual.”

The video has been released by the National Innovation Collaborative for digital health, a shared learning network of health and care professionals, voluntary sector partners, academics and digital innovators working together to accelerate the use of digital technology in health and care.

Watch the video by clicking on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrVvcP7B7Bk

To join the Innovation Collaborative and be inspired by best practice, resources and shared learning, visit future.nhs.uk/InnovationCollaborative.